Take a Hike!!

Today I tried something different and new in my workout routine, I took a hike around the lake at my job!  A coworker, a student and I walked/hike a total of 2.3 miles.  It was a great way for us to enjoy 90 degree weather in March...in Kentucky!  After being in the office all day it was nice being outside and switching up my workout.  The elliptical gets a little boring after a while.

This is an actual picture of the lake that I walked around today, Eagle Lake in Morehead, KY. The only difference is that it's not this green yet.  It was so peaceful and really gave me a great sweat.  I'm hoping to make many more trips around this lake. I was a great way to end the day!

Kevin Hart, Let Me Explain

This last weekend I joined a few of my coworkers for a night out in Louisville to see Kevin Hart live for his new tour, "Let Me Explain."  Let me tell you, that man is hilarius to the 10th power, l0l.  I was laughing from the time he stepped on stage, to when he stepped off.  Tears rolling down my cheeks and a free ab work out.  If you have the chance to see him in action, GO!

 

For dinner we at this Mexican restaurant called Sol Azteca that I found on Yelp.  The food is delicious, but the service was terrible.  Maybe they weren't expecting to be so busy, but they had 4 staff members in the front of house for dinner service in a place that seated more than 50 people.

What I wore:

Old Navy top/ Torrid skinny ankle jeans/ Target flats

Aldo earrings/ Forever 21 necklace

MAC lipstick (Girl About Town)

Back into the Music

 

Lucky me, I get to see John Legend tonight.  I'll share with you all when I get back!

Book of the Month

So while I was at the Roots & Heritage Festival, which wasn't all that, I was able to pick up Unconditionally Single by Mary B. Morrison for $5!  Amazon has them starting at $6 + shipping and handling.

I think that Mary B. Morrison is a great writer and she had me hooked with her book Sweeter than Honey.  That was the first book of her Honey series and this book that I'm reviewing on is the last one before intertwining with another series.  I read both part 1 and 2, so when I say this on the shelf for $5 I had to grab it and use it for my September Book of the Month.

Not wanting to spend any money over the weekend, I decided to start reading.  I started and finished the book on Sunday!  This book did everything a book should do.  It sucked me in, left me wanting more, and anxious to read what was going to happen next!

If your looking for a book that will take you away from reality, get you excited, or your simply looking for an African American author that you can get into, I highly recommend the Honey series from Mary B. Morrison.  In sharing my enthusiasm, I was told that her older books are great as well.

Next month I'm hoping to read Darius Jones for free through my job.  It's the book immediately  following Unconditionally Single.  I was able to get a snippet of the first two chapters and I can't wait to read the rest!

Happy Reading Everyone!

Book of the Month

 Hey ya'll.  I hope that you all had a great Labor Day weekend.  I was able to spend some time with my cousin in Wilberforce and take a break from east Kentucky. 

So back in January I decided to do 11 goals for 2011 instead of New Years resolutions.  One of these goals included reading one non-school related book a month.  I must admit, I haven't been keeping up with it but I finally got around to it. 

The August book of the month was Michelle Style by Mandi Norwood.  The book  went through Mrs. Obama's style during 2008 and how she changed America's thoughts about putting "fashion" and "First Lady" in the same sentence.  At the end of each chapter there were tips on how you could get her style.  They even provided information on how to get Mrs. O signature pearls.  This book is for fashion followers and Michelle fans.

I was able to find it at Walmart for less than $1.00 (So up my alley)!  I looked on-line and they don't have that price available, but here's a link to Amazon.

Weigh In Wednesday: Week 1

 Hello my beautiful readers!  As you know I've just started on a new kick to get fit and healthy.  I decided to rejoin Weight Watchers (WW) and I just completed my first week on the new Points Plus program.  I've decided to post about my progress and journey to stay accountable, both to myself and to you.  Being so far away from home and having you guys is really going to keep me motivated!

Every Wednesday is my weigh in day for WW, and as a result I will be reporting to you all in what I'd like to call "Weigh In Wednesday", as well as the tracker at the top-right corner of my blog.  I will include updates from the scale and what my goals for the upcoming week are.  I'll also share the challenges, favorite meals, and what I'm most proud of from the previous week. (If you have suggestions be sure to leave a comment and let me know)

So here goes the first week!

Starting Weight: 229.8

Current Weight: 228.6

Total Weight Lost: 1.2 lbs

Biggest Challenge:  Watching the portions and recording what I eat.  I'm a lover of food so making smarter decisions about what I eat is going to be the best benefit to my weight loss goals.

Favorite Meals: A veggie burrito from Chipotle & whole-wheat pasta with marinara and hot Italian sausage.

What I'm Most Proud Of:  I went to the gym when it opened and worked out for an hour 30 minutes...I don't go to the gym so that's big for me!

Goals for the Week:  Increase my water intake, plan my meals so I'm getting all my nutrients, and exercise more.

Thanks again to all you beauts for supporting me through all of this.

Thanks for Reading!

Meatless Mondays Going Strong

Today was a successful second day to my new regiment of "Meatless Monday's."  I had salads that were full of hearty greens and veggies.  I was able to have my first taste of the salad bar in the dining hall at work and I loves it!  I think it was the best salad that I've had in a while.  For dinner I added some extra protein with a piece of grilled salmon.  Just may be my Monday staple.

My first Weight Watchers weigh in is Wednesday and I'll be able to share all of my weight loss goals with you then.

Thanks for the support everyone! 

Meatless Mondays

So the topic of the Weight Watchers meeting that I went to was about have a day without meat and finding alternate ways of getting your daily protein.  In Grad school they did meatless Monday's and I'm looking to bring that into my life.  I was able to start today by mere accident.  I skipped lunch and only had an apple for breakfast.  For dinner I decided to go to the new Japanese restaurant called Yamato for some sushi.  This is what I got:

California Roll & Eel and Avocado Roll

The place was packed!  The California roll...I don't recommend, but the eel and avocado roll was delicious!

Points+

So today is the perfect day for new beginnings.  I went to the Weight Watchers at Work open house and decided that it's time to stop feeling down about the way I look and do something.  The last time that I was on WW it was great.  I was loosing weight and noticed that I was pushing myself to stay in the gym longer and longer.  I was really happy with my results, and then the dangerous part came.  I fell off the wagon!  I gained all my weight back, plus some.

I'm in a new city and I have big plans for myself...like falling in love.  Okay, maybe a deep like, l0l.  Either way, I want to feel good about myself.  If I'm doing whats needed to take care of myself, then I know I have no option but to feel more confident and comfortable about myself.  And having a lot of people at work doing it with me is reassuring.  I'll have a great support group.

Next week will be my first official weigh in for this new go around on WW.  I will be sure to check in will all of you every Monday as well.  I'm calling on you guys to keep me accountable.

Help me stay on track ya'll.

Crazee Burger

Well hello there.  As part of the goals that I set for myself at the beginning of the year I said that I wanted to do more culinary experimentation.  I'm a lover of the Food Network and after looking at this episode of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, I just had to go check out this local hot spot called Crazee Burger.

Seeing that I'll be moving out of the state in a few days, I decided to bring my mom along for the experience and treat her to lunch.  I had the Santorini Burger (half lamb, half beef with tzatziki sauce) with sweet potato fries, and the madre had a angus burger with a baked potato.  As the video shows they have a lot of interesting types of burgers that you can get.  I recommend this place if you want a special treat and don't mind spend a little bit more for a burger.

Enjoy your weekend!

Missing Picture

Here's the picture I told you I was going to post from the Anthony David concert that I went to here.

Me and my Sorors with Anthony David in San Diego!

Thanks For Reading!

Getting Back on Track

In January I posted my 11 goals for 2011 here.  Well I've accomplished some of those goals such as graduating, increasing the blogging, and throwing an outstanding baby shower.  Something else that I've been able to accomplish is attending more live entertainment.  Last week I had a great opportunity to see the artist Anthony David perform live at this spot called Anthology in downtown San Diego.  It is such a cool spot.  It's a lounge/restaurant that caters to a wide variety of interests.  At the end of the month they're having Chante Moore and on the 13th of July India.Arie!

This weekend I have an opportunity for more live music as I've been invited to attend the Playboy Jazz Festival!  Don't worry it starts at 3pm and I'm going with my good friend and Soror Ashley.  So with that pictures are coming soon.  For now you can see more of Anthony David and his amazing talents below.

30 for 30 Remix Finale!

That's right ya'll, I'm done!  I got so excited about being done that I lost track of the day and did 31 days, l0l.  I hope that you've enjoyed following my adventures experimenting with different combinations for these past few weeks.  It went by so fast so I know for sure that I will be doing this again.  And let's be real, I know my pocketbook was happy to have gotten some rest.  On my shopping list: black pencil and/or A-line skirt, black skinny jeans, and closed toed work shoes, l0l

As school is starting to really pick up, I have to make sure that I take time out to make sure that I keep my goal of continuous blogging.

There's so much more of me to come, so stay tuned!

P.S. Visit the lovely BBM here to enter her Torrid give away!

January Book of the Month

So one of my goals for 2011 is to read one non-school related book a month to help me enjoy reading for fun again.  The book that I chose to read for the month was Fierce Style: How to be Your Most Fabulous Self by Christian Siriano from season four of Project Runway.  This is a great book of advise, tips and motivation to help individuals to be their most fabulous self - inside and out.

Siriano gives his perspective of what constitutes being fierce.  He provides a lot of things to see, do and purchase via his list of must haves, top tips and tricks, as well as lists of what not to do.  He has lots of tips and remarks from celebrities he's worked with on what they consider to be fabulous and fierce.  My favorite is from Whoopi - "...be comfortable.  When you're not comfortable, that's when you catch an attitude."  In addition to the great quotes some of the best advice I took away from the book was to find my own icon or fab diva that I want to be more like and just rock it.  After giving it some thought, I truly love the styles and looks of Chrisette Michele, America Ferrera, and Jazmine Sullivan.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is learning to love fashion and the power of looking your best self so you feel your best.  After reading this book, I am truly motivated to do some great things years and get some big accomplishments under my belt in 2011!

Come on in 2011!

So looking at the Blogs of the fashionista's that I'm following I've decided to start my 2011 with a post of what I envision my year to look like. So here it goes my 11 goals for 2011:

1. Graduate & Work - May 7th marks the completion of graduate school and starts the count down to my 25th birthday. It also means that I have to stay on top of this job search, mama has to pay the bills! Did I mention that this California girl is looking to move out of state!?
   
2. International Travel - I've never traveled outside of the country and being from Southern California Tijuana doesn't count. I started doing a lot of research over the summer and I think that I've narrowed it down to Jamaica. After talking with a couple of friends and my second mom, I'm debating if I should pick a city and stay there for a week or do a cruise. We'll see, but I'm leaning to an all-inclusive vacation.
3. More Reading - After being buried under textbooks and scholarly journals, I just want to read books that help me escape from the chaos of everyday life. My goal is to read 1 new book each month. So that's 12 books for 2011.
   
4. Baby Shower Extravaganza - So a couple of my Line Sisters are having babies along with 3 of my brothers, but my lovely #7 has commissioned me as the official planner of the Baby Shower. I was so excited that I have most of it figured out already, no need to wait right. Here's a sneak peek!
5. TRIM THE FAT - My goal is to lose 40 pounds by Dec. 31, 2011!
6. More Live Entertainment - I need to enjoy life so this means I need to go to more concerts, plays, art showings, festivals, etc. I need to be part of the fun that goes on all the time.
7. Guilt Free Shopping - I want to buy things for myself without feeling guilty, something that I haven't done for a while as a result of worrying about everyone else.
   
8. The Hearst Castle - Well this just makes sense. I'm a Hearst so it's only proper that I visit my castle l0l.
   
9. Blog More - I was doing so well over the summer, but I can really use this blog as a way to purge emotions, safely obsess over fashion and food, and meet great people with great ideas and advise.
   
10. Culinary Experiments - Not only do I want to try new cuisines but I want cook new recipes as well. Not having a kitchen in grad school has really made me miss cooking and busting some suds.
    
11. Checking the Bucket List - I started a bucket list and I want cross things off while I still have my health and mobility.

So much to do, but if there's anything that I love it's a challenge!